Aim: Due to the complex nature of Alzheimer's disease, there is a renewed search for pleiotropic agents.
Results: Purine+coumarin hybrids have been synthesized and tested for the potential treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Hybrids 6, 4a-b, 14c and 14e inhibit significantly soybean lipoxygenase, whereas derivatives 14b, c and 20a present antioxidative/lipoxygenase inhibition activities. Cholinesterase (ChE) and monoamino oxidase (MAO) inhibition studies have been carried out. Hybrid 20a is the most potent ChE inhibitor, in the low micromolar range, and selective for hBuChE (IC50 = 4.65 ± 0.23 μM), whereas hybrid 14a is the most potent MAOI, in the low micromolar range, and selective for MAO-B (IC50 = 6.8 ± 0.6 μM).
Conclusion: The preliminary experimental results point to two selective multitarget lead compounds 20a and 4b.